Children's Home run by Ashford Children’s Care Limited in Surrey

Inspection report for children’s home: 2636494 1 Registered provider: Ashford Children’s Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to six children. The home cares for children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in July 2021. The register manager post has been vacant since July 2022. A new manager has been appointed and has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2636494 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2636494 3

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improvement to be good

The overall judgement of requires improvement takes account of the judgments for help and protection and leadership and management.

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improvement to be good

Children develop strong and trusting relationships with the staff caring for them. They are comfortable and relaxed in the home environment. Staff are warm and attentive towards children. Some children are non-verbal or have limited verbal communication, so they are reliant on staff understanding their needs. Staff demonstrate a good ability to interpret what children are conveying.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers advocate strongly on behalf of children to ensure that they are in education. Two children attend school regularly. One child is provided with home tuition five times a week while waiting to return to school. Children are also encouraged and supported to develop their independence, such as attending to their personal care, dressing or cooking. This has helped children to learn and develop important life skills.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are met well by staff. Staff ensure that children take their medication as prescribed. Staff support children to attend medical appointments and ensure that they have access to specialist advice. One child was supported to undergo surgery. Due to the staff’s support, the child has engaged well in post- surgery care.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand that it is important for children to maintain relationships with the people who are special to them. Parents and other people who are close to children are warmly welcomed into the home, and staff support and arrange for children to spend quality time with them when it is safe for them to do so.

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improvement to be good

Despite their complex needs, the children are encouraged to participate in activities in the home and the community. Although the feedback from parents and professionals is that the activities could be more varied, staff try to match them with children’s abilities and preferences. Staff capture these moments by taking photos, which contribute to the children’s life story.

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improvement to be good

Children receive a minimum of one-to-one support, which should significantly minimise the risk of harm. Despite this, there have been two recent incidents during which a child suffered injury caused by another child in the home. On one occasion, the agreed staffing level was not adhered to. The second incident took place in the presence of staff who are not restraint trained and who therefore could not have intervened, had this been considered necessary. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636494 4 Records of incidents of restraint do not consistently include all the details required in regulation, such as the duration of the measure. Furthermore, there is no independent oversight when the registered individual is involved in applying the measure. This does not enable leaders and managers to monitor the use of restraint effectively and identify any emerging themes and patterns.

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improvement to be good

There has been only one incident of children going missing from home since the last inspection. The manager and staff acted appropriately, and the police were informed without delay. As a result, the child was located swiftly and returned home safe and well.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff demonstrate a good understanding of the needs and vulnerabilities of the children in their care. The child’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans are reviewed regularly. They include all known risks and set out specific actions of how staff should respond to manage any risks.

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improvement to be good

Not all staff have received training on how to administer safe restraint. This compromises the staff’s ability to manage behaviour should it escalate and pose a risk to others. The manager has arranged for this training to take place in the near future.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment and employment practices are followed and ensure that only suitable staff are employed.

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good

The manager has been in the role since July 2022, and she has applied to register with Ofsted. The manager is supported by a deputy manager and the responsible individual, who is involved in the day-to-day running of the home. Leaders and managers have demonstrated their commitment to the staff and children by covering shifts in an effort to reduce the use of agency staff and to provide consistency of care to children.

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good

Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for improvement. Recruitment of permanent staff is one of the areas that leaders and managers want to improve to ensure consistency and stability for children. Staff report that the low staffing levels impact on their ability to provide the level of care required to meet the needs of the children in their care.

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good

Staff say that they feel supported by the manager. Staff benefit from induction and regular supervision from the manager. However, the frequency of supervision provided to the manager is not in line with the expectations outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. Furthermore, not all new staff have completed training that is relevant to help them to meet the needs of the children in their care. Additionally, the training matrix does not include a record of the training completed by the responsible individual, including restraint training, despite him covering shifts at the home and being involved in the use of restraint on one occasion. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636494 5 Leaders and managers have identified shortfalls in the quality of records and are working hard with staff to improve this. For example, the recording of restraint and significant incidents needs to improve to consistently include all relevant information.

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good

Leaders and managers work in partnership with other agencies and families to meet the needs of the children. There was mixed feedback from professionals regarding the quality of communication. Some held the view that communication could be better, while others were satisfied that the staff communicated with them effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636494 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iv)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to the registered person ensuring that the safety plans for children are followed, including the staff ratio, and that staff take effective action to prevent children from harming each other. 21 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 19 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2636494 7 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to the registered person ensuring that the manager receives supervision in line with the home’s statement of purpose and that all new staff receive training that is relevant to meet the needs of the children in their care. 19 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration; 21 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2636494 8 details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to the registered person ensuring that records of restraint include all relevant information and independent oversight when the user of the measure is the responsible individual.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, the details of significant events should be clearly recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 2636494 9

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636494 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ashford Children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 24 Showell Green Lane, Birmingham B11 4JP

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Inspector

Aneta Wasilewska, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2636494 11 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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